Dress-shield.



K. E. ALLPORT.

DRESS SHIELD.

APPLIUAIION FILED MAY 29, 1908.

' Patented Apr. 27, 1909.

0., wAsumm-on, o. c.

UNITED sTA'rns PATENT OFFICE.

KATHERINE 'ELLWooD ALLPohT, or cnI'cAeo, ILL-INoIs.

DRESS-SHiELD.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed May 29, 1908.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, KATHERINE ELLWOQD ALLPORT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Dressfihields, of which the followin is a specification.

The object of my invention is to adapt a dress shield for ready attachment to and removal from a garment, the attaching means being so constructed as to afford a secure fastening for the shield and which can be quickly attached and detached. To this end I have devised a metallic fastener, preferably constructed of spring wire, and so fashioned as to provide a pair of spring jaws which will securely clasp a seam or the body of a garment so as to attach the shield thereto.

In order to enhance the convenience and rapidity of application, '1 preferably con"- struet the fastener in such form and so associate it with the shield that it becomes a permanent part thereof.

To provide for the ready attaching of the fastener to the body of the shield and for its convenient manipulation the shield is provided in its margins at the points where the fastener is to be applied, with cut away portions, preferably V-shaped notches, and the fastener has a body portion of substantially the same shape as the notch or opening and portions of the fastener are secured along the margins of the openings, preferably within a pocket provided by a cover piece of fabric stitched or otherwise secured th'ereo'ver.

'This cuttin or notching of the fabric 'not only facilitates the securing of the fastener to the shield but it prevents any wrinkling or doubling of the fabric of the shield which would not only be objectionable to the wearer but would prevent the proper action of the fastener.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a perspective view of the shield with the fasteners applied thereto, one of them being shown in engagement with a fabric. Figs. 2 3 and 4 are fragmentary views of the shield showing the fastener applied thereto, Fig. 2 showing the fastener closed, Fig. 3 showing the fastener open and in position to receive the fabric, and Fig. 4 showing the fastener closed with a part of the covering forming the pocket folded back to show the mode of insert'i'o'n. Fig. 6 shows the fastener of the preferred form in plan and Fig. 5 shows the same-in edge view. Figs. 7 and 8 are similar Patented April-2'7, 1909. Serial No. 435,815.

views respectively of a modified form of fastener.

The fastener B of my invention is com posed of spring wire and preferably in the form shown in Figs. 5 and 6. In said form, the fastener is composed of a single piece of wire bent or doubled to provide the diverging side members I) b,-united by the coiled portion a and provided preferably with the upwardly offset or bent portions (Z and with the coils c to afford closed loops for the passage of rivets or other means for securing the fastener to the shield. Beyond said loops the extremities of the fastener are directed inwardly as at f. The terminal portion beyond the portion f of one of the members is thendoub'led upon itself to provide an open keeper 9, and the other member is also returned or doubled upon itself and terminates in an outwardiy projecting point it.

The shields may be 'of'th'e usual form and constructed Of the usual materials. But l'l'l order to provide it with permanent fasteners or attaching means it is notched or cutaway on its margins at the points where the fas tener is to be attached. This notch a is preferably V-shaped and I prefer to attach the fasteners to the shield at its points or spices and also at its side margins so as to afford a secure fastening and also to keep the shield properly distended or stretched and prevent its rolling or wrinkling. The form of the opening or cut may be other than V-shap'ed and may of course be a mere slit with the edges of the shield adjacent to the slit turned back or folded over the fits tenor. A greater or less number of the fasteners may be employed and they may be applied at any desired points.

The fastener may be secured to the shield by means of a cover piece 0 which may be folded or doubled over the margins of the V-shaped opening and secured to the body of the shielc by lines of stitching as shown. Preferably this cover piece will be stitched to the shield except at its end 0 and the fastener is then put in place by separating its jaws as shown in Fig. 6, and then inserting them through the openings and then stitch ing the end 0 to the shield. But'the fastener ma b placed upon the shield and the cover iece laid over the fastener and secured t?) the shield by stitching.

It will be understoodof course that when the cover piece is doubled over the fabric of the shield at the edgesof the openingit at fords pockets for the side members 5 of the fastener and for the eyes 0 thereof. V hen the cover piece is thus secured to the shield it incloses the coil 0 of the fastener and in order to prevent any movement of the fastener, staples D or other means may be;

passed through the openings of the cons loops 6 and through the various layers of the shield and cover piece.

'1 he normal position of the fastener after it is applied to th garment will be that shown in Figs. l and 2, wherein it will seen that the fastener, except for the projecting portions f, g and 7b, is wholly inclosed and covered by the cover piece and that in 1 such position the edges of the shield between.

the ease members of the fastener are held spread apart and that the clamping members 1 a. When pressure is released the clamping gaws will close U)OI1 each other. the )Olllt it causin the fabric to c lateral separation of the clamping jaws. These latter are preferably so constructed and proportioned that they do not perforate or penetrate the material to which they are attached, but hold by forcing a portion of the material into and throi the opening of the keeper. This opening will preferably be of such width only as will enable the doubled thickness of the fabric and the point it of the jaw to enter, the security of the grip being dependent largely upon the friction or clamping effect thus produced between the sides of the point 7? and the sides of the keeper.

The fastener may be constructed. in vari ous forms asto the particular configuration of its members, but essentially it comprises two opposed jiLWS connected to the body members in such a way that the jaws are opened by compressing the side members and closed by spring action.

I have shown the fastener as made with the inclined portions f crossing each other and I prefer to so construct the device. I have also shown the side members 3) provided with bends or upstanding portions (Z as these afford a convenient means for manipulating the clamping jaws.

In Figs 7 and 8 l have shown a slightly modified form of fastener, the side members in this case having a series of open loops 2',

onset or bent por e forced through the opening of the keeper g and serving also to prevent and this fastener may be secured direct to the fabric by stitching through these loops and the staples or other independent fastening means dispensed with.

The following general advantages of my invention may be noted: The fastener is of such simple and inexpensive construction 1 that a suitable number thereof to adequately 1 attach the shield in posit-ion for use may be applied without prohibitive increase in the cost of the shield, the increased cost being more than offset by the convenience of having the fastening means a permanent part of the shield.

The fastener is made preferably of round wire, because it may thus be made very light and yet have sufficient strength or spring power to afford secure clasping effect.

The form of the fastener is such that it may be manipulated with the thumb and finger of one hand, the disengagement or separation of the jaws being effected simply by compression. of the side members of the ins i ers and the reengagement being automatic or due solely to the tension of the s i ring.

The form of the fastener is such that it follows the contour of the shield and adapts 1 itself readily to the lines of strain without mesonting any features.

The notching of the edges of the shield and the application of the fastener in the manner described permits of the ready manipulation of the latter without the danger of the shield doubling or wrinkling between the members of the fasteners so as to prevent their proper action.

By inserting the fastener into the shield, rather than by attaching it to the edge of the shield, prevents movement and play of the shield which otherwise might allow perspiration to affect the garment intended to be protected by the shield.

The fastener is of such form that it does not interfere with the washing of the shield clumsy or objectionable and its various parts are so constructed that it is not likely to damage the fabric to which it is attached nor to inflict injury in applying it.

The fastener of course may be plated to avoid corrosion and the point 7L should only be sufliciently sharp to insure the fold of the garment being drawn into the keeper and its retention therein.

It will be understood that my invention is not limited to the exact configuration of the fastener nor to the precise method of attaching the same to the shield which is herein shown and described.

I claim:

1. The combination with a dress shield, of a fastener therefor composed of a single iece of wire bentto form spring arms eac inclosed within the shield and having terminal portions extending beyond the margin of the shield and formed into cooperating clasping jaws adapted to be opened by compression of the arms and to close by spring action, substantially as described.

2. The combination of a dress shield having a cutaway or notched portion in its margin and a fastener therefor having spring arms secured to the shield along the margins of the cutaway ortion and clasping jaws projecting beyond the edge of the shield and adapted'to be opened by the compression of the spring members and to close by spring action, substantially as described.

The combination of a dress shield having a V-shaped notch in its margin and a fastener therefor composed of a single wire having a spring coil therein with arms diverging from said coil, each of said arms being secured to the body of the shield along the margins of said opening, the terminal portions of said wire extending beyond the edge of the shield l and crossing each other to provide clasping z jaws adapted to be opened by compression and to close by spring action, substantially as described.

4. The combination with a dress shield having a V-shaped notch in its margin and provided with pockets along the margins of said notch or cutaway portion, and a fas-l tener therefor composed of a single piece of Wire bent to provide diverging spring arms adapted to be held within said pockets and the terminal portions of the wire being extended beyond the margins of the shield and crossing each other to provide clasping jaws which open by compression and close by spring action.

5. The combination with a dress shield having cut-away portions or notches in its margin, of a wire fastener having spring arms and clasping jaws, and a fabric cover piece secured to the shield adjacent to the margins of the cut-away portions or notches and inclosing the arms of the fastener, substantially as described.

6. The combination with a dress shield having notched or cut-away portions in its margin, of a fastener therefor composed of a spring wire having compression members'inclosed within the margins of said notched or cut-away portions, said compression memv bers provided with integral loops for securing them to the shield and with projecting jaws or clasping members beyond the edges of the shield, substantially as described.

7. The combination with a dress shield having notched or cut-away portions in its margin, of a fastener therefor composed of spring wire having compression members provided with offsets or bends and inclosed within the margins of said openings, and cooperating aws or clasping members projecting beyond the edges of the shield, substantially as described.

KATHERINE ELLWOOD ALLPORT. Witnesses:

C. O. LINTHICUM, ALLEN W. MOORE. 

